Corruption

Christmas – the season of gifts and giving. Nobody needs reminding that we already hurtling our way full speed towards the Big Day, but for businesses it is the time of year when a useful reminder on the dangers of bribery is required.....More

The World Cup has got off to an explosive, entertaining start. We follow up our coverage of each team’s first fixture with Part 2 of our World Cup of Corruption, looking at each nation’s ranking on Transparency International’s 2017 Corruption Perceptions Index. Teams included in Part 2 include Sweden, Senegal, South Korea, Panama, Poland and Japan.....More

Football itself – and in particular FIFA – has been beset by corruption problems over the last decade. In light of this we thought we would consider each fixture of the tournament through the lens of corruption.....More

Earlier this year the French government enacted Sapin II, an anti-bribery and corruption law that bolstered the country’s transparency and anti-corruption efforts. The legislation was introduced after criticism over the years of France’s anti-bribery and corruption efforts from several quarters (including the OECD). The introduction of Sapin II was the most significant initiative on anti-corruption in the country in decades.....More

Since 2008, the UN has held its day in honour and promotion of democracy on 15 September. For a cluster of nations across Latin America, this is a date that holds a special reverence, marking their independence from colonial rule: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica all celebrate their independence day on 15 September (with Mexico’s the following day, and Chile’s three days later).....More

Since 2008, the UN has held its day in honour and promotion of democracy on 15 September. For a cluster of nations across Latin America, this is a date that holds a special reverence, marking their independence from colonial rule: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica all celebrate their independence day on 15 September (with Mexico’s the following day, and Chile’s three days later).....More

Transparency International work globally in leading the fight against corruption. One of the ways in which they raise the profile of corruption is through the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). The 2016 CPI ranked 176 countries in terms of how corrupt they are perceived to be on a scale of 1 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).....More

South Africa is undoubtedly a success story, from its lush wine lands which produce world class wines, diamond mines producing gems sold all over the world, to the Kruger National Park, which is populated by big game and is a huge magnet for tourists. South Africa seems to have it all, so why is its leader getting it so wrong? And what effect could this have on how the country is perceived around the world?....More

In order to achieve good understanding of, and compliance with, your anti-corruption policies, you need a process that transfers the necessary knowledge, insight and skill to those who serve your organisation.....More

The use of sanctions as an international means of affecting change has grown exponentially in recent times. As countries become less and less keen to use military force, the world has turned to sanctions implementation as a means of impacting international change, both politically and socially.....More

Panama, Brazil, Afghanistan, China, Malaysia, Pakistan, Ukraine, Angola, South Africa. Examples of corruption cases abound beyond the limits of European geography. A cursory look at the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index shows plenty of low-ranking jurisdictions, many situated at a substantial distance from continental Europe. Does this mean that European companies, executives, regulators and prosecutors can sit back, head early for the beaches of the Mediterranean this summer and leave their international counterparts to manage these anti-corruption risks far from Madrid, Paris, Rome and other EU capitals?
Clearly, the answer is ‘no’.....More

Asia and the rest of the world has been rocked by the 1MDB corruption scandal which has seen investigations triggered around the globe including the United States, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Malaysia.....More

Historically, there hasn’t been a large number of high profile enforcement actions in relation to bribery. The low numbers could be taken as a sign that regulators are not focusing on this risk or conversely that firms have improved systems and controls so much that bribery is a thing of the past.....More

Sweden was the first country in the world to introduce freedom of the press as a constitutional right in 1766. This long tradition included the principle of freedom of information, giving both the general public and the mass media access to public records.....More

Corruption can be defined as ‘Dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power’ and usually falls into three main categories: grand corruption, petty corruption and political corruption, which the anti-corruption campaign organisation Transparency International defines more specifically.....More

A high percentage of Switzerland's surface is covered by the Alps. The melting of glaciers, located at the top of the mountains, generates flows of clean – and essential - water for a wide range of ecosystems downstream. This natural geological phenomenon helps us to illustrate the importance of the commitment from the Board of Directors and Senior Management to implement compliance across all hierarchical levels in Swiss companies.....More

Corruption can be defined as ‘Dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power’ and usually falls into three main categories: grand corruption, petty corruption and political corruption, which the anti-corruption campaign organisation Transparency International defines more specifically.....More

It’s all focus on France at the moment.
A few weeks ago it was widespread strike action which was grabbing the world headlines as protests against reform of the French labour code caused significant disruption across the country.
And now, with the 2016 European Football Championships progressing towards its conclusion, the Tour de France will be hot on its heels showcasing the beauty and variety of the French way of life.....More

​The Panama Papers have truly put the cat among the global pigeons. What the rich, powerful and famous from around the world have been secretly getting up to offshore makes fascinating reading and the revelations have already toppled one prime minister.....More

2015 proved a busy year for corruption scandals in sport, arrests and resignations of FIFA officials and allegations of cover ups of doping in athletics have shocked many.
So maybe 2016 will offer some respite to weary folks? Not so far.....More

Today feels quite significant to me. Not only has it been a week since I took up my role within the Research and Development team at International Compliance Training, but also very importantly, it’s International Anti-Corruption Day.....More

Billions of pounds in corrupt funds are pouring into the UK every year. Transparency International - Don't Look Won't Find Weaknesses in the supervision of the UK's anti money laundering rules.....More

I finished my previous blog by saying that it would be interesting to see how the FIFA case develops - perhaps on reflection a comment on the patently obvious! Now the initial media frenzy has settled down it gives us a chance to review the allegations.....More

We awoke this morning to news that several FIFA officials had been arrested for corruption in ‘dawn raids’ at a Zurich hotel. I’m sure that we woke up a little more gently than those officials who had a knock on their hotel room door!....More

The Reserve Bank of India, the national banking regulator, has issued INR1.5cr (USD165,276) fines to three public sector banks and issued to cautions to eight more for failure to implement appropriate measures to prevent and detect AML/CTF. The censure comes in the wake of a thematic review of KYC in banks which found a lack of due diligence carried out in public sector banks and a concerning use of intermediaries to open and operate accounts.....More

In the UK Anti-Corruption Plan, published on 18 December 2014, the Government committed to carrying out a review of the suspicious activity reports (SARs) regime contained in the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (PoCA) and the Terrorism Act 2000 by July 2015. The purpose of which is to develop ways of better identifying money laundering and the financing of terrorism, and to prevent the movement and use of the proceeds of crime. The Home Office has, therefore, launched a ‘Call for Information’ in relation to SARs and firms are invited to respond to various questions.....More

The OECD Foreign Bribery Report, released earlier this month, provides some interesting insights into corruption within international business. Not surprisingly, it highlights the usual sectors as hotspots for bribery and corruption activity. Drawing on data from the 427 foreign bribery cases that have been concluded since 1999 (when the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention first entered into force) the report finds that the extractive sector accounted for 19% of these, construction 15%, and transportation and storage a further 15%.....More

I went to the UK launch of the 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index on Wednesday night at Skinners' Hall. As expected some countries have gone up and some down in the rankings. A quick summary for you…....More

The conviction of three people in June for conspiracy to commit bribery relating to match fixing had me thinking (again)… can we use the number of corruption convictions as an indicator on how corrupt the UK actually is?....More

Influential, wealthy and ‘lawyered-up’ entities are settling bribery cases with prosecutors by throwing money at the case in order to avoid admitting guilt or proving innocence. What message does this send out to the world?....More

As I left a bright and sunny London yesterday afternoon having attended the Chatham House conference titled ‘Combating Global Corruption, Sharing Standards and Common Practice’ and shared the company of the good and the wise, I left encouraged because of the very considerable efforts that are evidently being made by law enforcement and other interested parties to reduce the demand and supply side of graft and corruption, but equally concerned by the apparent lack of action and regulation of alternative money transfer arrangements.....More

Financial Crime has recently emerged as a hot topic of late and I feel it is something that should be brought to the general public’s attention. Here in Singapore we are launching, for the first time in the region, the ICA Financial Crime qualifications, giving us a great platform to start looking at this area in a little more detail.....More

Over recent years, we have all been witness to the US Department of Justice ("DOJ") and the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") aggressively pursuing enforcement action against businesses and individuals under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ("FCPA").....More

So the UK FSA has published their Thematic Review of Anti-Bribery and Corruption (ABC).
The lesson is clear. After a new law is enacted or a financial crime theme becomes the focus of regulators due to a scandal, there is a huge response and hype. When the dust settles firms must ensure that control frameworks are properly implemented, and they finish the job. We know the regulators will be watching.....More

The Transparency International ‘Corruptions Perceptions Index’ published annually, offers a glimpse of global corruption based on perceived levels within the public sector of 183 countries. The Index is a funny thing, loved in some quarters and loathed in others, but still an interesting perspective on where various nations stand compared to others on the issue of corruption. Some results are not surprising; North Korea and Somalia are ranked joint bottom on the list.....More